I’m sitting by the window listening to the soundtrack of the movie The Music Never Stopped.The hum of multiple lawn mowers fill my ears, and there’s a steady breeze coming in. It’s hot, really hot for a May day, but I’m not complaining. I’ve missed the sunshine and the bare legs and the suntanned skin. The start of summer always has felt magical to me, as it signifies the end of the school year and the beginning of summertime adventures.

All the kids, they want today

the world’s problems to go away

it’s about summer,

it’s about summer.

Summertime has always felt wildly carefree to me, with no schoolwork to worry about and no grades or due dates or what not. It felt as though all my problems faded away. As a child, summer meant days at the pool, sleepovers with my best friend, going barefoot, and eating more ice-cream than usual. It was a wondrous, free of worry and stress. As I grew older, summer became busier. I got summer jobs, volunteered at camps, and seemed to have little time to myself. (But it was all fun nonetheless!) this summer I seem to be doing much less, so maybe it will return to it’s carefree state.